


Childhood Friends

by TrashPidgeon



Category: Le Fantôme de l'Opéra | Phantom of the Opera & Related Fandoms, Le Fantôme de l'Opéra | Phantom of the Opera - Gaston Leroux, Phantom - Susan Kay, Phantom of the Opera - Lloyd Webber
Genre: Alternate Universe - Childhood Friends, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Kindergarten & Pre-school, Alternate Universe - Middle School, Angst, F/M, Fluff, Foster Care, Kid Fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-13
Updated: 2020-08-13
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:59:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,447
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25874002
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TrashPidgeon/pseuds/TrashPidgeon
Summary: The Gang is back as kids.
Relationships: Christine Daaé/Erik | Phantom of the Opera
Comments: 3
Kudos: 12





	Childhood Friends

Nadir sat at the front of the car and was watching the road but Erik was tapping his foot on the ground and it was really getting his nerves. At the next light, he braked and turned back to the small boy, he said “Erik, can you stop tapping on the floor. I can’t be distracted while I’m driving.”

Erik looked up at the man and nodded. He stopped tapping, to Nadir’s relief, and started fidgeting with the strings on his black hoodie. Nadir sighed and focused back on the road. 

Erik was too quiet, he was normally quiet but this was a different kind of quiet. But today he just sat and fidgeted with his hoodie. Nadir figured it was nerves, as before he’d taken Erik on as a foster child. Erik had rarely been out of the house. His mom had kept him inside because of his birth deformity. She’d force him to wear a mask at all times and if he slipped up at all she’d “beat the devil out of him”. Her neighbors heard strange noises one night coming from next door. They’d found the child bruised and bloodied and the mother had gone insane. He’d been bounced from several foster homes and had been in the system for at least a year when Nadir found him. 

Nadir got out of his head and continued driving the five-year-old to pre-school. He was happy to get the boy into a pre-school, but it’s only because he taught some of the higher grades at the private school. Most other private schools rejected Erik because of his deformity but Nadir was able to get the boy a spot here. 

When he pulled up to the pre-school and parked Nadir leaned back to the boy and said “Okay Erik, we’re here.”

Erik nodded, unbuckled his seat belt, and got out of the car. Nadir followed suit. The grounds were crowded with parents and kids of various ages saying bye and entering the school. 

Erik hid behind Nadir, afraid of the other kids. Nadir said, “It’s okay Erik, let’s go inside.” Erik nodded, took a deep breath, and tried to appear more confident. Nadir walked into the small side door to the pre-school and Erik scuttled in behind him. 

\--------

Madame Giry was curious. She had yet to see the young boy that Nadir so cared about but she knew he’d be in her class. She observed the pre-school room and saw all the parents dropping off their kids. She saw that one of her daughter’s best friends just got dropped off. Meg and Christine ran up to each other and they hugged. Madame Giry laughed at there antics and went back to surveying the room. 

That’s when she noticed that Nadir had walked in. He had the child, who hid behind his legs. Nadir walked up to her and said “Hello Madame Giry, this is Erik and he will be joining your class.” 

Nadir pointed to Erik who now stood beside him. The child seemed normal, with his black hoodie and sweatpants, the only difference was the child’s face. He had a stark white mask concealing half of his face and his skin seemed rather pale and thin. He had messy black hair that reached to his neck. His eyes were a bright yellow and he seemed too intelligent for a child of his age. 

Madame Giry looked down at the boy and said “Hello Erik, I hope you enjoy my class.” 

Erik looked sharply at her and said “I-I hope so too.” 

Nadir looked in surprise at the interaction and said “Why don’t you go read a book.” 

Erik left to go look at the bookshelf and Nadir turned back to her “That was the first time he spoke to someone besides me or the social worker.” 

She replied, “Tell me about the boy then.” 

  
  


Nadir looked at the stern woman and said “He’s a curious boy. He spends most of his time plucking away at the piano in my living room or taking apart various gadgets around the house, He’s relatively quiet. But when he does talk it’s a barrage of questions about everything. I think you’ll get along. Anyway, I need to get along to my class. So just give me a report on him at the end of the day.” 

Madame Giry nodded and Nadir exited the room. She turned back to her class and realized that this was going to be an interesting class. 

\--------

Christine looked around at the classroom. It was a pretty room covered in various bulletin boards that waited to be covered with crafts. Her father snapped her out of her craft-related trance by saying “Okay Christine, you be a good girl!” 

Christine waved back “I will, Bye-bye Papa!” 

“Bye-bye my dear girl!” he replied, he then left from the same door they had entered. 

She looked around until she spotted one of her best friends Meg. She ran up to Christine and proceeded to give her a big bear hug. Meg asked “CHRISTINE! Where have you been all summer?” 

Christine laughed “Papa and I have been on tour with his band!” 

Meg’s eyes lit up “Really, you got to go on tour! Your dad’s a great musician!”

Christine replied, “He sure is!” 

The two girls continued to chatter with each other when another boy came up to Christine and said “I recognize you! I fetched your red scarf!” 

Christine looked with wonder at the other boy. It was Raoul, the friend she made this summer. Her father’s band played at a clam bake for a bunch of rich people at a cool house. It was rather cool though so Christine was wearing a scarf. A gust of wind blew it into the sea and Raoul fetched it. Her father was in that area for a week so they became friends. Now he was back. 

Christine joyously replied “YAY! Raoul’s here!” 

She gave Raoul a hug and the three of them chattered aimlessly about the summer and the cool crafts they were gonna do and how Meg’s mom is super strict. 

Then Ms.Giry herself called out “Okay children, gather around in a circle.” All the five-year-olds followed her instructions and gathered up in a circle. Madame Giry then continued “Okay children welcome to your first day of pre-school. I am Madame Giry and first off, today we’re doing a craft! So go over to those tables and will give you instructions.” 

Madame Giry pointed over to some short wooden tables where various craft supplies were piled up. Everyone went to a table. There were four to a table. Christine was with Meg, Raoul, and a red-headed girl named Carlotta. 

Madame Giry announced “Okay now, children today you will be making a collage. You will be given a black piece of paper and will draw or make things to put on it! Ideas will be on the board and if anyone needs help ask me.” 

The little table started to make their collages. Christine glued some glitter on hers. She was about to add some feathers when Carlotta asked “Hey, what’re you doing with your collage?” 

“I’m gonna make a sparkly bird,” Christine replied. 

Carlotta laughed “Well you got some of that sparkle in your hair.” 

Carlotta laughed maliciously at the incident. This made Christine feel rather humiliated as some tears started to run down her cheeks when a kid from another table said “Hey, back off! She looks pretty with glitter in her hair!” 

Christine choked back the tears as Meg and Raoul started to defend her as well. Then Madame Giry came over to their side of the room and said “Miss Carlotta go sit in time out,” Carlotta crossed her arms and marched over to the time out corner and Madame Giry continued “And Christine go clean yourself up.” 

She pointed over to the sink where Christine went to go clean herself up. She grabbed a nearby towel and started to dampen it when the kid from earlier came by. Christine found the boy intriguing, he looked rather plain except for the white mask that covered half of his face. “Thank you for standing up to Carlotta!” Christine said to the boy while wiping glitter out of her hair. 

The boy replied “Your welcome. By the way, my name is Erik!” 

Christine replied “I’m Christine.” she held out her hand for Erik to shake but instead he flinched. So Christine put her hand back down. This new boy was curious. 

“Anyway, you do look pretty, even with the glitter in your hair.” This is when Christine decided that this strange boy would make a good new friend. 


End file.
